Monday, September 14, 2015

That's No Moon, It's a Space Station

[Radar image fromthe most useful radar site for birders at 0045 UTC (8:45 p.m. EDT) today. Not a space station, and not rain. It's birds. And this is barely into full dark of night, so one should watch this flight unfold.]

One more:

[This, the front forecast frozen at 6:00 a.m. Zulu, which means 2:00 a.m. EDT 9/15/2015, shows a cold front that passed yesterday, a high pressure system over our region, with pretty much nothing to stop migration from our Cape May "sending zones" of northern NJ, Pennsylvania, New York, and New England." And weather and winds to encourage it.]

And, apart from today, which was insane at least at Higbee Beach WMA in NJ, with over 56,000 birds this morning, over 46,000 of which were warblers (and we're not talking yellow-rumpeds here), and almost all of that in the first hour (!), it's been two weeks since we've had a really serious southbound flight of landbird migrants. They've been trickling, but the pipe has been clogged. There are many birds "in the pipe," and the weather, wind and time of year combine to act like the product known as Drano.

One more thing: tomorrow is September 15. Peak, or maybe past peak by a few days, for neotropical migrants in Cape May.

I really recommend birding tomorrow. What's the worst that could happen? You skip work and go birding?﻿

This blog is about. . .

. . . sharing the joy found in birds and life. Especially birds, birders and birding in Cape May, NJ, where I happen to live. Generally I stick to thoughts and photos of birds and other wildlife, with occasional i.d. tips or ecology notes, though wider-ranging subjects creep in now and then.

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About Me

A wildlife professional for 32 years, with a career including the Cape May Bird Observatory; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; NJ Audubon; Rutgers U.; Hunterdon Cty, NJ Parks; and the NJ Div.of Fish and Wildlife. Specialized in the human dimensions of wildlife conservation, with substantial habitat management, academic, and wildlife research experience. Operated a MAPS banding station for many years, a past member of the NJ Bird Records Committee, past editor of Records of New Jersey Birds, and a current board member of the NJTWS. Traveled to 24 states, 11 countries, and 5 continents, mostly as a birding tour leader. Competed in the NJ World Series of birding for 25 years, as a member of winning teams several times; in the Great Texas Birding Classic 4 times, winning once; and in Israel’s Champions of the Flyway event. Written over 1000 articles, 2 books and 3,000 blog posts, virtually all on some aspect of nature. Free-time pursuits include birding, hunting, traditional archery, photography, kayaking and training retrievers. Especially proud of my three adult children.